First Amendment
by erf10722
Summary: Then it went wrong. Shooting and killing and troops in combat gear. Feminists were suddenly angry. I had to maintain a C average to avoid the drat. Turns out you can't fly after you take LSD. There was a war on poverty. We lost. And it rained at Woodstock.
1. Chapter 1

**STEVE'S story! actual idea for Steve! This was inspired by a six month long research project that my friend and I are doing about about the sixties. We are interviewing people (old people) about their stories of the sixties. This is Steve's story. **

**all rights reserved to SE Hinton.**

* * *

The year was 1960. I was 17 at this point, working at the gas station will my best friend Sodapop Curtis. Soda was a pretty attractive guy back then. Not that I was into that sort of thing, but it was pretty obvious.

Soda and I disagreed about a lot of things, which is why we never took anything seriously. Too dangerous for our friendship. He was liberal, as democratic as they come in Tulsa. He believed that women should have equal rights and that black people should have equal rights. He even condoned hippies.

I was more conservative. I didn't despise women, I just thought that if they came into the work force, they would take away the jobs of men. Same with black people. Hippies were just stupid drug addicts.

The reason that Sodas little brother, pony and I fought so often was because of politics. He took after Soda, liberal to the bone. He even believed in evolution and god at the same time! Ridiculous.

We never told the others that that's the reason that we fought. Truth be told, we both enjoyed arguing our points. we would stay up late at night and debate. Keeping our voices hushed so that no one else heard us.

The one point we could agree on was also the simplest: queers. At this time, a tiny, stupid organization called LGBT was forming. A bunch of hippies in my opinion. Lesbian, Gay, bi, trans. How stupid.

Stupid to become one also. Some guys I know are obsessed with girl on girl love, but I just think its disgusting. Same goes for gay. And bi-sexuals? How could you like both? You were either queer or you weren't, simple as that. Trans probably disgusted me the most. They had complete control and they _chose _to become...strange.

Pony and I talked politics almost every day. When we made sharp jibes at each other, we would do it in a clever way that insulted the others political party. For example, I would tell Pony, "Smart _ass" _referencing the donkey that represented the democrats. Then he would tell me, "Just pointing out the _elephant _ in the room."

It cracked us up afterwards, and it was sort off a competition. Course, no on else knew that we actually didn't hate each other.

The day my life changed was the second of June, 1960. A colored women, about my age, came to the white gas pump. "Excuse me, m'amm, you have to go around back. This is not for colored."

She gazed at me as though she were looked right through me. Kind of loony like. "I'll take an oil change."

"Go around back!" I'll admit, I've always had a short temper.

"Why?" She emphasized the 'h' in w_h_y.

"Because you'r colored!"

"Aren't you colored?"

"Hell no. Miss, are you blind or insane?" How dare a black woman talk to me that way? I could call the cops on her!

"Neither. I'm right. Unless you are color blind, every thing is colored."

"I mean your skin, it's black."

"You're skin," she said matter-of-factly, "Is not white. Your skin is colored. It is tan, pink, brown, yellow and red."

"Are you flirting with me?"

"No. I don't flirt with racists."

"You mean you don't flirt with white folk. It's the law."

"Naw, I mean I don't flirt with racists. Lord almighty, color blind _and _deaf. I pity the girl you take around."

At that exact moment, Evie came up behind me and covered my eyes with her hands.

"Never mind." The black lady said. "I pity you _for _the girl you take out."

I gawked at her. "You little b-"

"Listen, mister are you going to fill my car with gas or not?"

"No." I paused for a second. "I thought you wanted your oil changed?" she paled a little. _Probably wouldnt be a half ugly girl if she were white. _I thought to myself.

"You're right."

I looked at her skiptically. "You don't need your oil changed at all!" i accused. "You're just causing trouble."

"Not causing trouble, standing up for my rights as a human."

"Hardly."

"What? Hardly standing up or hardly human?"

"Standing up...maybe both. Sitting in your car at an empty gas station is hardly making a difference."

"Well then, why are you so annoyed?"

"I'm not." I paused again. "I could call the cops." I said seriously.

"But you wont."

"How would you know?"

"I wouldn't, but you just told me." I flipped her the bird and walked into the shade of the DX station.

For the rest of the day, I pretended not to notice the beat up car, in park in the service area.

* * *

Pony and I were the last up after a particularly rowdy game of poker. Soda was dozing in his chair, with a sticky note on his forehead that said "Loser" placed there by Two-Bit. As payback, Pony and I had written in sharpie on his hand, "warning: if I am trying to hit on you, just know that I am a little bitch dog and I overcompinsate for the size of my..."

We ran out of room on his hand, but I was hoping the girl would get the jist of it. If she was _that _stupid, she deserved whatever Two-Bit did.

"So, shall I guide you back to your padded room?" I asked Pony innocently. Whenever we began to insult each other, it was an unspoken code that we wanted to argue. We had just finished the last poker game, and I was still the reigning champion.

"No thank you sir. I wouldn't trust you as you are such a nuclear bomb riding dimwit evolution appears to actually be going in reverse. I don't know if you could find your way."

"That's strange, coming from you. I think how unfortunate I am everyday. A million sperm, and I got stuck with the Pinko-sucking crybaby." No matter how dirty the insults got, we never grew insulted. it was just our game, the way we connected.

"So," Pony said, finally admitting defeat. "So, what's got your panties in a knot?"

"Frikin black woman wouldn't move her car today when I asked her to."

"So?"

"So! She was parked in a _white only _spot! No other customers came today! She probably scared the off."

Pony showed a sudden interest. He leaned forward a little. "Protesting?" I nodded, and a grin spread over his face. "So, it's started."

"What's started?"

"The next revolution."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Love yall! keep reviewing!**

**By the way, I am not a racist, sexist, homophobic, hippie, or any of that. Also, I'm VERY liberal, so if anyone thinks that I'm getting the conservative point of view wrong, please tell me.**

**I don't own.**

* * *

The next day I went to work without Soda. He usually took the morning to late after noon shift, and I would take the morning to evening shift, but today was Sandy's birthday and he was taking the day off.

I didn't really mind. I liked working alone. When Soda was there, I felt bad for listening to music instead of talking to him.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the kid, but it was very easy to spend too much time with someone.

Anyways, I groaned when I spotted the battered up old car in the gas service slot. I marched over to the girl, only to discover some socs talking dirty at her.

"Hey, black beauty, heard you Negros put out easy. Wanna see where this goes?"

I felt my blood boil with anger. Stupid socs. "Hey!" I called. They ran like the wimps they are, and I chuckled.

I walked cooly over to the poor car and the even poorer girl. "Figured I'd see you here again." I said gruffly.

"I didn't need you to save me."

"I know, but us greasers have a natural predisposed dislike for socs. Hell, I would have helped a damn Mexican just to see them run."

"Racist."

"Hippie." I retorted. She glared at me, then her gaze softened. At first I thought that she wasn't angry anymore, but then I realized that she was looking longingly at the bagel in my hand. Probably hadn't eaten since she drove in here yesterday.

"You hungry?"

She turned away stubbornly. "No."

"Yes you are. Come inside. I can get you something from the vending machine."

"I wouldn't eat anything you touched. Dirty racist."

"Good. Look, I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted to, I would have already."

"Like you would have the stones."

"No, I have the feeling you have more stones than the toughest greaser in Tulsa, so _I _definitely wouldn't have the stones." she actually laughed, a sweet ringing sound.

"Ok, fine." She got out of the car and trailed behind me into the gas station. I unlocked the vending machine.

I didn't usually steal from the DX, but this was kind of a desperate situation. "Here." I said, tossing her a bag of potato chips and a water.

She dug into it greedily, eating it with manners even in her haste.

"Where'd a" I called her something that I'm not proud of, "Learn to eat like that?" She gave me a disgusted look.

"You are one of the most horribly ignorant people I know."

"What? I just complimented your manners."

"And insulted my race, steretyped me as a big because I'm black, and have already prejudged my because of my sex and skin color."

"I have nothing against girls."

"No, you just think that they're place in is the kitchen, that they shouldn't get paid as much as men, that we are objects."

That was true, and even back then I had to admit it. "You don't know anything about me either."

"I know everything that I need to know about you. I know what you think, and that leads to how you think, and that leads to a simple yes or no question."

"What's that?"

"A question that has two answers, yes or no."

"No, I mean what's the question." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not an idiot." she scoffed as if to say 'Could have fooled me.'

"The question is if I can trust you. That's all I ever need to know about a person."

She extended her hand for me to shake as she got up to leave, but I pretended not to see it. I wouldn't touch her for a million dollars. I heard the door slam, and I became entranced in the work on a crappy chevey.

* * *

I checked my watch impaitiently. Soda was late.

This wasn't unusual for him. He sort of gets a free ride through life because of his looks and if the boss fired him, there would be a revolt.

But he was almost twenty minutes late, more late than usual. I heard the sound of shattered glass, and a cry.

What the heck was that? I asked myself. I rolled out from under the chevy and went to investigate.

The black chick was huddled on the floor, a scary amount of blood pooling around her head. It was easy to see what had happened. Some greasers outside, guys I recognized even.

I ran outside, waving my arms angrily. Their chuckles were interrupted. "What the hell?"

"Hey Randle."

"Why would you do that! I'm gonna have to pay for that out of my own salary!"

"Never took you for the type to look after a nigger."

"I'm not, but couldn't you just do it when she was in her car? She's been there all day-"

"All day? Damn, boys look like we got a fucking protester." The boys laughed, and for some reason I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. I made a mental note to stop eating vending machine junk.

"No, but I do care about my store. Now please leave and I wont tell the boss who did it." They scampered pretty quick. The boss was an infamously terrifying person.

Just then, Soda came around back, breathing heavily. "Sorry Steve, I overslept." I rolled my eyes.

"It's 1:00 in the afternoon."

"Still overslept." We walked together into the store of the gas station, and Soda gasped at the sight of the girl, who was now standing, leaning heavily on the counter.

"Oh my goodness! Are you ok? Steve, get the first aid kit." Soda moved into nurse mode, something he was well practiced at as he was the unofficial caretaker of all of the gangs injuries.

"No, I'm fine." The girl stuttered, looking less than fine.

"No you aren't. What's your name? Do you want me to call your parents or anything."

"Its just a head wound. It bleeds a lot. My name is Sybil. And no, thank you, I can manage."

I handed Soda the first aid kit wordlessly. "Thanks Steve. Could you hold her hair back?" I made a disgusted face and shook my head. Soda glared at me harder than he ever had. "Fine."

He worked well by himself, reassuring fluently, deftly picking glass from her scalp and holding her hair back successfully.

"There. All set. You might want to have a real doctor take a look, but you wont die." He gave her a grin that would make most girls weak kneed. She wouldn't even look at him in the face. Way to respect him.

Then I realized how it would look if a black girl looked a white man in the eyes, and I appreciated that she was following social standards. Soda nodded and went to the garage.

"So, Sybil huh? Nice name."

She ignored me, and moved to go back to her car, then hesitated, and turned back.

"I was right. The answer is no."

"I didn't ask you anything stupid."

"No, when I said that the only thing I have to know about a person is wether or not I can trust them. The answer is no."

"Little bit unfair to preconceive that idea without any proof." She stuck out her hand for me to shake again, and I looked at her like she was mad.

"That's how I know."

I realized she must know how much she repulsed me.


	3. Chapter 3

So, I've decided to leave the outsiders fandom sooner thn I thought, but I'm still stressed out because I didn't finish these stories. Any of you can finish them if you want, but I've decided to tell you how they all would end (don't read on if you don't want)

Aid to the helpless: Ida was going to die before Johnny. Eventually, Johnny was going to die, and die alone. Dally kind of goes down the drain (alcohal abuse, such) He leaves tulsa after Johnny dies and basically just starts a picket fence life in Massachusetts trying to forget his past. Two-Bit and Steve joined one of those groups that tries to purposely get aids (yeah, I know, they exsist...insane) And you kind of just infer that they die. Soda, Darry, and Pony are basically left to raise Austin, who is disabled and was confined to a wheelchair for his entire life. It ends hopefully though. Austin goes to Massachusetts when he's eighteen (going to college at MIT...cuz Johnny's brother would of COURSE be super smart) and meets Dal. Basically, Dally's angry because the Curtis' never told Austin about Johnny, or even that he exsisted. So, the final death toll is Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit, Ida, (and there's foreshadowing Austin isn't gonna be around much longer.). SOOO...you see why that story was discontinued.

First Amendment: I'm really sad that people didn't like this story, because it was talking about the REALLY dynamic changes of the 60's. Basically, Steve was going to start dating Syball and be completely ridiculed. One day, she was shot for entering a bar with him, and Steve goes completely mad with grief. He becomes super hippy-ish and democratic. He goes to all these peace rallys and, long story short (literally) he meets lots of people that basically tell him new ideals. By the way, Two-Bit was shot at woodstock and Soda was left unable to walk in Nam. Anyway, the story ends with Steve attending stonewall, which was basically this hotel/bar thing that police tried to shut down because it was gay, and they finally got super violent. It basically was the turning point of gay rights. Then they skipped a lot of years into the 80's with the AIDs epidemic and end of second front womens liberation. Steve gets wrapped up in the cause for pro-choice abortion and he starts a clinic (no, he's not a doctor) to abort babies healthily and freely. He speant years and years in jail until 2013. Finally, you skip to this year, and Steve is an old man with cancer. He decides that he wants to go down fighting, and he goes into a store in Arizona with ALOT of gay people and they all dress up really obviously like gay people, and the guys at the store are total jerks so they tell them to leave (which is legal in some states- if someone looks gay, you can tell them to leave.) They refuse, the police come, and Steve pulls a Dally. The last part is Soda (who grew apart from Steve when he left and became SUPER liberal) reading about Steve's life and struggles in the New York Times and just being really proud of his buddy. It sounds lamer when I say it like this...

Span of a Heartbeat: This one is pretty obvious. Pony dies from a heart attack just with a whole bunch of drama.

Somewhere only we Know: I love this story. Johnny's plan was to over throw the gang of Socs. He finally tells the gang about his dilemma (except for Pony because he's too young.) The socs are just completely after Johnny and he's FREAKED out. Cherry and Marcia were basically bad omens. When Pony wasn't listening, they told Johnny that Bob had made him an offer: bring himself and Pony or the rest of the gang. Johnny, being the practical person he is, brought himself and Pony to Bob (in the part after Pony is done getting "beat up" by Darry) He had a plan all along to kill Bob. He did that then goes to Dally to a predetermined location (Windrixville) There would have been this huge train scene (while Pony was sleeping) that basically Bob's men tried to assassinate Johnny. He got shot, but didn't tell Pony about it because he didn't want the kid to get the electric chair if they went back to Tulsa. So, Johnny makes a plan that he doesn't really tell you about for a long time. The whole events of the book happen, except that the socs set the fire in the church in an attempt to assasinate Johnny. Dally was in on the plan. but Pony sort of ruined it by going in there. Johnny followed, and found one of the socs trapped. He saved the soc, but was hit by the rafter. In the hospital, Johnny tells Dally everything. His plan was to make a deal with the socs for his life as long as the feud between the greasers and the sharks ended because the greasers didn't even know who they were fighting. Johnny tells Dally that he was planning on pulling a gun on the cops because that's the kind of death the Socs would expect of him. The death is the same, but in the last chapter, Dally takes Johnny's place. The socs were watching from afar (because they are wanted by the cops and don't want to be caught) so Dally and Johnny actually died so that the feud would end between the greasers and socs would end.

I just want to thank you guys so much. I know that this "note" is sortof obnoxious, pompous, and unortodox, but I didn't want to leave everything so incomplete. Please, feel free to finish these off. Have fun.

By the way, thank you SO much to Mickeycatorangeya who has really been very helpful and fun to talk to.

Thanks to everyone who ever reviewed, favorited, or read my stories. I love you all!

erf10722


End file.
